Going For Broke: NRCC Takes $6.5 Million Loan In Furtherance of $45 Million Ad Blitz, Expanding Targeted Playing Field to 62 Seats

According to an NRCC source familiar with the effort, the newly added targets include five Democrats whose districts, until recently, were thought to be out of reach this year: Reps. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Sanford Bishop of Georgia, Phil Hare of Illinois, Zack Space of Ohio and John Salazar of Colorado.

Republican strategists say that the $45 million figure is far more than they expected the committee to have for the fall campaign and represents an effort to take full advantage of the Republican-friendly political environment by investing in as many potentially winnable Democratic districts as possible. The NRCC initially reserved $22 million across 41 districts in August before expanding to $35 million in 55 districts in September.

“When we look up at the scoreboard on Nov. 3rd, we’ll look back and know that we left everything on the field,” said an NRCC source familiar with the effort.

To help finance the effort, House Republicans are also leaning on members for a late flood of cash. At a conference-wide meeting last week at the Capitol Hill Club, members donated or pledged a combined $4 million to NRCC coffers, with $1 million coming from House Minority Leader John Boehner.

All of it is designed to stretch the map as wide as possible. In recent weeks, Republicans have also begun airing ads targeting Democratic Reps. Ike Skelton of Missouri, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina, Jim Marshall of Georgia and Jerry McNerney of California — a tier of races that were once thought to be less competitive but now are seen as in play.

The committee is searching for new targets of opportunity as party strategists come closer to finalizing their roster of races. The NRCC has begun polling in three additional districts, including the Eastern Iowa-based seat of Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack.